As signs of spring are upon us, we aim to complete all of our winter work in the woods, to avoid disturbance to nesting birds and other wildlife. At Wyevale Woods, near Breinton, our Wednesday and Thursday mid week volunteers finished coppicing and clearing brash from a small copse of hazel and thorn, at the eastern end of the site. Historically Wyevale Wood was shown on 19th century maps as “Upperhill Coppice”, indicating that it was managed as coppice at that time although little/no evidence remains on the ground of this – most of the mature trees now appear to have been planted.
The work party volunteers created a dense, dead-hedge with all the brash that was cut to enclose the area, to help protect the coppice from human/dog disturbance and to deter browsing from hares and deer. The larger timbers were stacked neatly, to reduce their footprint and impact on the ground flora and to provide homes for invertebrates, small mammals, amphibians and birds. The cut hazel stumps will also quickly regrow, denser than before. Importantly, coppicing allows light onto an otherwise shaded woodland floor. This helps to stimulate the seeds of trees and ground flora to germinate and flowering bulbs to grow, all of which help give food and habitat to a broad range of species.
